Car Catcher: Flat-Floor, Numbers-Matching Jaguar XKE Roadster

In the world of Jaguar E-Types, perhaps this is the one: a flat-floor roadster with external hood latches and welded louvers painted the same color as the one shown at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. This 1961 Jaguar XKE represents the 195th left-hand-drive example built, and RM Sotheby’s is offering it in their Palm Beach online auction March 20-28.

From the auction house: “According to the included Heritage Certificate, the car was originally finished in a Bronze exterior with Biscuit-colored interior and Black top. As the car sits today, it is finished in a stunning Opalescent Blue with a Red interior and Blue top, the same color combination of the 1961 Geneva Motor Show stand car, as intentionally restored to match.”

This one has been a bit of a work in progress, too. The current owner picked up the car in 1977 and spent the next 35 years hunting down the correct, date-coded items. The restoration itself finally began in 2012. Three years later, the Jaguar emerged. At its first JCNA event, it scored 99.970 points. Since then, the listing continues, the car has only covered 400 miles.

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Comments

wspohn Dork
3/20/20 2:04 p.m.

Some people value scarcity over convenience. If it is rare they will buy it, even of the later versions were better cars.

This is one example - the flat floors gave inferior leg room and the welded in louvered panels resulted in rust and more body work in restoration.

Rather similar to the first XK 120s, which started out (the first 242 of them) with bodies done in aluminum, which actually resulted in a heavier car than the later steel ones, plus a lot more coachwork time to construct. Ditto the early post war saloons - buy a Mk VI - steel bodied over a Mk V coachbuilt over wood frame every time.

ShawnG UltimaDork
3/20/20 2:11 p.m.

Ok, I'll say it.

The whitewalls look godawful on that car.

SoK66
3/20/20 3:28 p.m.

In reply to ShawnG :

Believe it or not, that's what they came with OEM, at least in the US market. I was a high school kid when the first one that arrived at our local dealer. It was in that same color, might have even been that same car. The dealership was run by the father of two friends who lived a couple blocks from us. I was in high school when he drove it home, I ran the whole way to see it up close.

ShawnG UltimaDork
3/20/20 4:47 p.m.

In reply to SoK66 :

Wide whites in '61?

I learned something today.